Top Teachers’ Blog Swap and Hop with Stephanie from Teaching in Room 6

I am so excited to let you in on something that some of us Top Teacher Bloggers have been working on for a few weeks now! A “Blog Swap and Hop!” The super blogger that is posting on my site is Stephanie from Teaching in Room 6! I hope, even if you are not following the blog hop, you go and check out her blog. Another great aspect of this “blog hop” is that I have a post at “Adventures of a Sixth Grade Teacher!” Make sure to go check out my post on her blog when you’ve finished reading Stephanie’s here on mine. Here is a link to Teaching in Room 6.

Hi everyone! My name is Stephanie and I am from Teaching in Room 6. I am so excited to be talking to you today here on For the Love of Teaching Math.

Math. Just the sheer word can put some people into panic mode nowadays. With all of the expectation and demand to “get through it all” these days, it seems like we as teachers need to come up with more and more ways to embed our math standards into our daily routine. Placing math into seemingly “unmathy” tasks has been one way I have tried to keep our standards in the forefront of my students’ minds. Here are a few things I have done that you can do in your classroom as well.

Algebraic Table Points

For years, I had used tally marks to keep track of table points. However, I knew there had to be a way to get more math into that part of my day. Using algebra to count off table points was the answer. By using x’s and + points, I have my students multiplying variables, and working on expressions daily. Basically, I assign an “x” value each week. If students are exceptionally good, they earn x’s. If they are good, but not the best ever, they get + points. By doing table point this way, the students see how changing the variable each week changes the outcomes of the point tallies. But more importantly, they see algebra as just something else we do. It takes the scariness out of it.

Student Numbers

I, like many teachers, assign numbers to my students at the start of the year.
This is more of an organizational tool than anything else. But
throughout the year, I try to use those numbers to my mathematical
advantage. When lining up, for example, I will say, “All prime numbers
please get in line” or “If you have an odd number in the tens place,
please line up”. Picking partners can be done in the same way, “Please
form a group where the sum of your digits are equal.” Choosing who gets
to be a helper or pick up supplies can also be done this way, “The
person with the greatest number may come get the construction paper for
your group” or “In order from least to greatest, please come pick up
your workbooks.” This helps to keep math vocabulary alive in the classroom.

Classroom Economy

In my class, I use a Classroom Economy as a form of classroom management. The students love earning money that they can then spend in my room for things they need and want. But a great byproduct of using this type of system, is that the students must maintain a register to keep track of their money. On a daily basis, my students are adding and subtracting decimals. They are learning how to balance a checkbook. They deal with percents when 10% of the money they have needs to be put in a “savings account” and 25% of their money needs to go to classroom taxes. There is math galore in this management system, which makes it that much more appealing!

So there you have it folks! A few simple things that I do to try and get math into our daily routine. What are some things that you have done in your classroom to keep math at the forefront?

Now that you have read Stephanie’s amazing post, “Hop” on over to “Adventures of a Sixth Grade Teacher” to read my post and to continue with the “Blog Hop”! Thanks for stopping by!! Click on the link below to continue…..